Gansler outpaced Brown in Carroll, Cecil and Queen Anne's counties. Mizeur, who lost badly in her Montgomery County home, scored her sole victory in Kent County, where she and her wife own a farm they use as a second home.

Brown claimed 51 percent of the statewide vote, compared with 24 percent for Gansler and 22 percent for Mizeur.

Brown's victories ranged from a 180-vote squeaker over Gansler in Harford County to his total domination of his home Prince George's County, where he took 77 percent of the vote. The lieutenant governor also cruised to victory in Montgomery, Gansler's political base, by 18 percentage points.

The choice of Howard County Executive Ken Ulman as his running mate paid off for Brown as he pulled in 59 percent of the vote there. Brown also won big in Baltimore city, where Mizeur ran second, and in Baltimore County, where Gansler edged out Mizeur for second place.

One of the most striking results came on the Republican side. Harford County Executive David R. Craig, who lost to business owner Larry Hogan by 14 points statewide, took only 46 percent of the vote in his own county to Hogan's 41 percent. That was not nearly the margin Craig needed to offset his lack of name recognition in the Washington region.

Statewide, Hogan took 43 percent of the vote as he carried 11 counties and Baltimore city. He won all the metropolitan jurisdictions except Harford.

Craig gained 29 percent to Charles County business executive Charles Lollar's 16 percent and Del. Ron George's 12 percent. Craig, who captured nine mostly rural counties, ran his strongest race on the Eastern Shore, particularly in territory represented by his running mate, Del. Jeannie Haddaway. Lollar dominated Southerrn Maryland, where he won Charles and St. Mary's counties and was leading Hogan in Calvert County by 10 votes.